Iran 2016 (Gallery #3)
Portrait of a man on the Karun River, Shushtar, Iran, 2016
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was walking along the Karun River in Shushtar one morning and met these me watching birds and eating breakfast. It was a wonderful way to spend a morning!
Portrait of a man on the Karun River, Shushtar, Iran, 2016
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was walking along the Karun River in Shushtar one morning and met these me watching birds and eating breakfast. It was a wonderful way to spend a morning!
Blacksmith in the Market, Hamadan, Iran, 2016
I loved all the textures of the metal-working area of the Hamadan bazaar. I spent about an hour there walking around, taking picture and looking at knives. I even bought an antique knife. I especially liked the texture of the metal as it looks in black and white.
Tombs of Esther and Mordecai, Hamadan, Iran, 2016
Yes, that Esther and Mordecai! The inside was, not that surprisingly, quite small. So it was hard to get a really good picture of the inside. But it was still very interesting. The book of Esther is actually the only book in the Torah to not explicitly mention God.
Inscription at Behistun, Kermanshah Province, Iran, 2016
This is part of a rather famous inscription in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian that was commissioned by Darius the Great (Darius I) in the 6th Century BCE. Because it has the same text in three languages, it was key to the decipherment of cuneiform script, just as the Rosetta stone was the key to understanding Egyptian hieroglyphs. In short, is essentially is a description (written by the winners, as history always is) of Darius' accomplishments after the death of Cyrus in 521 BCE.
Kurdish Smugglers Going to Iraq, Kurdistan, Iran, 2016
I say this a lot, but this is one of my favorite pictures. And maybe that's more for the story behind it then the picture itself. The photo also makes me very sad, as this was taken about 25 miles from the earthquake that occurred on November 12th, 2017.
This picture came about as we were leaving the small town of Uraman Tahkt, in the mountainous western part of the Kurdistan province. Although there is a lot of agriculture in this region, a lot of money comes to Uraman Tahkt from smuggling. As we were leaving the village in our bus, we went by Revolutionary Guard (known in Iran as Sepah) station and, just behind it, saw men running up the hill. We asked Ashfin, our guide, who these people are and what they were doing. He told us these were local Kurdish men, running toward the border Iraq to smuggle things across from the other side. Mostly they would smuggle things like DVDs and small electronics, but they would also get things like TVs. That they were doing this right behind the Sepah station was surprising, as smugglers have been shot by the Revolutionary Guard in the past, according to Kurdish human right groups . But of course, we began taking pictures from the bus surreptitiously.
But as we wound up to the pass, we came across a whole group of around 15 men, all chatting and talking on cell phones. At this point, we were a few kilometers from the station an hour drive from any actual town. In the distance, to the west, we could see Iraq. We asked Ashfin if we could stop and talk to them. He said "why not?" So we stopped the van and got out. Of course, aside from our guides, I was the only one who spoke Farsi, and these men spoke more Kurdish than Farsi. But I did know how to ask to take a picture, and my group asked me to ask these men if I could take a picture. They smiled, nodded, and asked me the same question. I said yes, and everybody began taking pictures, us with our cameras, them with their cell phones. As we did so, some of them men got to work, heading down the valley towards Iraq. I was especially impressed by the man with the cane.
My heart goes out these men, their families, and the those affected by the earthquake. Everyone I met there was terribly kind and generous.
Kurdish Smuggler in Traditional Clothes, Kurdistan Province, Iran, 2016
I had seen a lot of men dressed in the full, traditional Kurdish outfit with the cummerbund. But this fellow, a smuggler, wore it particularly well. We met him, along with another 15 men, right where the road crests over a ridge overlooking Iraq, his destination. As i mentioned above, this area was hit by a massive, 7.3 earthquake November 14th, 2017. It pray for the safety of this man and hos family.
Child in Uraman Takht, Iran, 2016
This is a little girl in Uraman Tahkt, a small town in Iranian Kurdistan close to the border on Iraq. This area was, sadly, hit hard my an earthquake in early November, 2017. I haven't heard much about this town in particular, but it's only 50km from the epicenter. The child's mother--whose hand you can see in the upper right--wouldn't let me take her picture. But she gladly gave up her adorable daughter!
Men Playing Backgammon in Sanandaj, Iran, 2016
My father taught to play backgammon when i was a kid, but in the United States you don't see being played nearly as much as chess. However, both games originated in central Asia: chess in India, and backgammon in Persia. Backgammon is still played all over Iran, and I saw men playing it everywhere.
I only had a couple hours in the market in Sanandaj, which is the capitol of Kurdistan Province. I found it bustling and friendly. This is a city I would really like to spend more time in.
Landscape Near Takht-e Soleymān
Ruins Takht-e Soleymān
Takht-e Soulyman has an amazing history. It was mainly a Zoroastrian fire and water temple in the Sassanid era, around 300 AD. Iwas occupioed as early as the It was eventually a summer retreat for Mongol Ilkhanid kahns ij the 13th century.
However, Solomon came here. Legend has it that when the Arab invaders came through here in the 7th century, destroying many non-Islamic sites, the care takers at this site made up a quick story about Solomon having stayed here in the past, though it was never true. The Arab invaders had reverence toward biblical prophets, and spared the site. The name stuck.
Family in Tehran
Shoe Maker in Tabriz, Iran, 2016
Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Esfahan, Iran , 2016
Metal Without Boarders
I met these two guys from Tehran while at Perseplois and started talking to them about metal. I had to get a picture.
Persepolis, Iran, 2016
Spices in the Bazaar, Shiraz, Iran, 2016
Oil Wells Near Ahvez Iran, 2016
Ahvez is in southern Iran, where much of Iran's oil come from. In 2017, Ahvez was the hottest place on earth at 129 degrees Fahrenheit.
Men Watching Birds by the Karun River, Shushtar, Iran, 2016
Chogha Zanbil, Khuzestan Province, Iran
